Hi All.
Got my 4th Golden Ticket today... 1st time ever! 4th GT wizard mode is amazing! Remind me... what's the requirements for the 5th ticket, Wonkavator for me??
Whats considered a good score? I play to beat a Pin typically (not the score), just curious.
Thank you

How did you end up taking off the plastic screws ? I've been pushing hard from under but it doesn't move an inch. I'm hesitant to pull from the playfield I don't want to damage it.

Nothing loose that I noticed. Optos are registering fine and ball release coil fires correctly. I reseated some cables and played a few games. Still have the issue but seemed less often than before. Makes me wonder if there is something going wrong with that data cable or a poor connection to the board. I need to spend more time looking at it.

Please look at the optos again. Are they staring straight at each other, or is one pointed a tiny bit off ?

LTG : )

If you're talking about the black plastic plugs that have threads/fins on them: I took a drill bit (dull end up) that was slightly smaller than the hole and tapped it pretty firmly with a hammer from below the playfield. It was nerve racking. JJP said it shouldn't be that hard, but it was. Also keep in mind that plastic plug has a wedge shaped end, so if you put something like a phillips head screwdriver in there it won't make good contact.

That’s exactly what I did. But I wasn’t having any luck hitting harder than I thought I should so I just left it alone. Lol

As others have said. Punch from the bottom until it comes out. Don't pry it from the top with anything at all. My post is here.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wwcf-club-wonka-golden-tickets-inside/page/148#post-6112731

Best wishes.
r/
Mike

Hi guys. Has anyone had an issue with a ball seemingly getting hung up under this area. It’s hard to see the ball as it is under this area in the top left corner. The machine will try to eject balls and finally will launch a new ball. The new ball will apparently hit the one that is stuck and both come down.

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Wew just had best game ever. 4 GT and 32Million. And that was with my last two balls not really doing much. Had 31m , 4gt with 3 balls left…. Anyways is still by far my best game ever. Got thru wonkas office, had a friggin amazing secret machine. Wow im exhausted.

Is there a good site for playfield replacement parts?

What parts? Marco Specialties or Pinball Life for general parts. Maybe some place else for a specific part or special balls or rubber.

We had a screw or a washer fall out back in that area and cause some ball traps. Maybe fish around back there with a magnet wand and see what you come up with before taking it all apart for inspection...? https://www.titanpinball.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=83

TS4

Couldn’t agree more…

I’ll let others comment on the various other JJP games “magic” qualities.

But will add that Wonka has unexpectedly become my desert island pin because of it’s “magic”.

Should be in the top ten on pinside IMHO

my spinner is often getting stuck like the pic below. During gameplay it usually fixes itself but not until I miss a whole bunch of great spinner shots. Anyway to get this so its sitting better?

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An example would be the Wonka lighted factory toy that I am looking for.

Thanks. Will pick one up to see if that is the issue.

And WoZ.

Take the Chocolate Factory off and see whats getting it caught up. It could be the gate not lifting up 100% and slightly trapping a ball.

When I first got my machine, I have to tweak that spring to lift the gate more. Everything was getting diverted and I wasnt familiar with the machine yet and didnt realize it was a problem.

One, single, tiny drop of oil on the two pivot points. Use can use a Q-Tip with a bit of oil on it to make sure it doesn't drop anywhere.

If it's getting hung up on something foreign, fix that, but if it's the friction being -just- enough to keep it like that on occasion, the oil will fix it. And give more Super Spinner Joy

Thanks, any particular safe oil you recommend?

Super Lube

This?:
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Lube-51004-Synthetic-Viscosity/dp/B000UKUHXK/ref=sr_1_4

Yeah but you don't need that much, this smaller tube with fine point will last your pinball lifetime.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BXOGHY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

thanks I appreciate the help. Ive never actually greased up a spinner, but I know many like to for crazy spinner ripping

I had some of this laying around. Works well. Similar to super lube in that it is PTFE, but in a spray form. A little goes a long way. https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-300052-Specialist-Resistant-Spray/dp/B00AF0ODGM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3

I had to reposition this plastic over the captive ball since it had shifted. I've heard this piece tends to break easily. What purpose does it serve? Does it prevent an air ball from getting hung up on top of that captive ball mech?

PXL_20220920_154249569.MP~2 (resized).jpg

Wonka is a magical game, and I had much the same feeling after owning my Wonka. I pre-sold a game to have money ready for Toy Story. How could they screw up one of the best loved movie franchises, designed by my favorite pinball designer? Oh, by theming it off of the side-story, money grab sequel to the series, and taking up a huge space on the playfield not with a cool mech, but with an iPad, you know, because the 27" screen isn't enough for video. Also, leave off most of the side characters that were integral to the first 3 movies and dominate the playfield and rules with throwaway (one literal!) characters. I've played TS4 on location, and it has some fun shots. But it is no where near the magic of WW, and at 11k, not something I'm going to spring for.

I've yet to play another JJP that has "the magic." I'm interested in WOZ, but I've yet to find one in public that is 100% working. The thing I hear over and over from people who used to own it is, "it is the most beautiful game ever, but it got to where I looked at it more than played it." I had the opportunity of getting a nice Ruby Red edition locally from a seller I've worked with before on a lift cart. But I was committed to waiting on Toy Story, and had only one open slot. So sadly, I didn't even go play it. I kicked myself on the release day of TS4 for this. If you can find one to spend some time on, this would be the JJP game I'd seriously look at.

GNR is a really cool looking game, and I have fun when I play, though the ball launch still feels wimpy and weird. But many say that the scoring is "unbalanced" and you REALLY have to like GnR as a band to not get sick of it. A lot of them have a short life in collections, there are usually many for sale. I guess you will find out soon enough. I honestly hope you love it, who cares what anyone else thinks.

Dialed In is a game I've only played once, and I was pretty new to pinball. The theme didn't jump out at me. I think this is what killed that game. Many B/W titles of the 90's wouldn't jump out at people today either: but the game-play was so good, and the machines were everywhere, so people had a history with the game that they want to own themselves now that they can afford it. Dialed In didn't have that opportunity, so the "meh" theme not only killed it, but now makes it oddly pigeonholed to a specific "dated" time that isn't far enough in the past to be "classic" or universal.

Pirates is beyond stupid in terms of pricing. I've only seen one in public, and played two chaotic games where I had no idea of what I was doing.

Honestly, I'd wait and see what JJP makes for their next game. Honestly, they need a win. Every person I know who isn't a distributor who was waiting on TS bailed when TS4 was announced. Every day it seems that I see a new NIB listing for sale at a discount. GnR had tons of PR problems.

In the meantime, I used my money set aside for TS towards a Cactus Canyon. Not only do I have nearly half a game's worth of cash left over, but it has been great fun. If you haven't owned a CGC remake, you should. I honestly think that CCr SE is the best deal in pinball right now.

Yes.

I did not know they made the smaller bottle! lol At least I can have my grandkids inherit this very same bottle of mine lol.

Has anyone gone down the path of replacing the LCD with something higher resolution?

I was a pinball collector back in 2006-10 and at one time had 34 dmd games at one time. I sold off my collection to pursue other interest. About 4 months ago, my kids seen a stranger things game at a farmers market in the arcade. The minute i left the market my search was on for that game! Fast forward to today…. I bought a gnr machine and from that day forward, i had to get every jj game made. I have now every jj game except for dialed in. But i am looking. I have a bunch of stern games and i still have a funhouse and theatre of magic . But the jj games in my opinion, are much better quality, more toys, they weigh a ton!!!!!! Etc. everyone’s opinion may vary. There is a ass for every seat. I really enjoy the jj games with the large tv screens. Enough for the jj fan boy rant, i need another drink. Btw. Hobbit and pirates are phenomenal!

I would say for a full emersive experience Hobbit is an awesome game. The sounds, lights and video clips are awesome. That said the shots can get old after a while. Dialed in was a fun game but only stayed around for a few months. I've had a wonka SE for a yearish now and really enjoy it but am selling it to fund a bond prem. But Wonka will always be on my rebuy list for sometime down the road.

Is not all the source material at 1080p?

That is an awesome collection. Are Pirates and Hobbit your favorites then? Which JJP's would be the first you'd let go of, if you had to make room?

If someone was holding a gun to my head and i had to get rid of one. I probably would be gnr. I love the game, but i dont like the very generous multi ball all the time! Multi ball should be a reward. Not a participation trophy! I love the game, but in order are pirates, hobbit, wonka the other 3 are loved equally!

And for now pirates could be the honey moon stage. I layed out a bunch for her! So it has to be my favourite. I will let you know when the newness wears off.

No point in higher resolution. I would, however, like a brighter / better color LCD for the Wonkavision.

I've had a WOZ for 4 years, got a Dialed In 2 years ago and just like you I was piling up money for TS4, saw the reveal and bought a Wonka.

I loved WOZ, but once Dialed In came in I stopped playing it. Dialed In is the one forever bolted, it's a game that flows like no others, the code is designed for the flow too, every shot is satisfying, it's a total keeper. I think in due time, Dialed In will be recognized as a pinball masterpiece.

WOZ is a different bird, it's a hard game, very tactical, very stop and go too because the playfield is crowded and each area of the playfield is a mode so there's a lot of doing the same shot over and over to move the mode forward. It does get repetitive at some points, but it pretty much has everything pinball has to offer under the glass.

I played Wonka a bit on location and never liked it much, then thought I should give it a shot at home, I had the money, didn't want to buy a Stern, didn't want to get a Hobbit so Wonka was the only option. And I'm happy to say Wonka is a fantastic game but I think you can only enjoy it when you know the ruleset, which is what I missed on location.

I still think Dialed In is a step above, probably because I don't have much pinball skills. Dialed In is very forgiving, where Wonka's shots are much tighter. The orbits are tight, the middle ramp and the right ramp are tight and the Wonka vision is super tight.

Installed this mod a couple days ago and have a couple hours on WONKA with it and I have to say it's a nice addition to the game play. I echo all of the sentiments above -- especially the "PTSD" coming out of the pops. Takes away the cheap drains... but doesn't give me a free pass. Well done, Trumpanche.

It ended up being in a screw. I got the tool you recommended and used it up the ramp. Voila. A screw stuck to it immediately. Thank you for the guidance.

Is there a link t buy this mod?

You can buy them here... Travis ships super quick also.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1305-trumpanche-mods/07092-gate-at-wonka-s-factory

Thanks for the link. Just ordered.

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm really glad you're enjoying it like I do

Woohoo! I bet you'll find 1000 unexpected uses for that magnet now that you have it

well I applied that lube to the upper right spinner and it still gets hung up not in correct position. Im guessing I need to bend the wire to encourage it to stay down in the proper position after spinning